Fluid distributing or collecting system for water softeners, filters, and the like



Dec. 5, 1950 c. HUNGERFORD, JR 5 FLUID DISTRIBUTING 0R COLLECTING SYSTEM FOR WATER-SOFTENERS, FILTERS, AND THE LIKE I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 2, 1947 Dec. 5, 1950 HUN RFORD, JR 2,532,913

FLUID DIS BUTING COLLECTING SYSTEM FOR 7 WATER-SOFTENERS, FILTERS, AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 2, 1947- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 5, 19 50 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLUID ,DISTRIBUTING "R aCOLLECTING SYSTEM FOR WATER SOF-TENERS, FILTERS, AND THE LIKE Churchill Hungerford, Jr., Wenonah, N. J.,' assignor to Hunger-ford & Terry, Inc., Clayton, N. J., acorporation of Delaware ApplicationjJanuary 2, 1947, Serialhlo. 7.19.805

1-2'Claims. i

This invention relates to the fluid distributing or collecting systems used in the tanks of certain} types of water treating equipment, such as water-softeners, filters and the like.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be better understoodifitis-first recalled that, in water treating s'ystems'where fluids are passed upwardly or downwardly through treating mediums of one kind or another, it -is necessary to provide distributing systems so that the fiuid can be made to pass as uniformly as possible throughout the entire body of the treating medium thereby avoiding what is known as local channeling. Such distributing system are generally made-up of one or more manifolds, depending upon the size of the tank, from the sides of which manifolds are extended a plurality of socalled laterals of smaller dimension, each of which receives from the manifold or delivers to the manifold depending on whether the treatment being given happens to involve distribution or collection. At this time, however, I wish to point out that my invention is equally applicable regardless of the direction of flow and that in the accompanying claims it is the intention to cover either distribution or collection.

The principal objects of the invention are to greatly simplify and to materially reduce the labor involved in manufacturing and assembling distributing systems of the character described, to eliminate entirely all threaded. joints and to reduce the cost of installation and repair.

The foregoing objects, together with such other objects as may appear hereinafter, or are incident to my invention, are attained as illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a distributing or collecting unit embodying my invention, one or more of which units may be employed as necessary or desired, depending upon the size of the tank;

Fig. 2 is a partial section on a greatly enlarged scale taken as indicated by the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section but on a still further enlarged scale in order to better illustrate certain features of the improved joint of my invention.

In the drawings, a distributing unit is illustrated as being comprised of a central manifold 4 of relatively large diameter into opposite sides of which are connected a plurality of relatively very much smaller laterals 5. One end of the manifold is closed as by means of a suitable plug 6 and the outer end of each lateral is also closed 2 by a plug 1. The opposite end 8 of the manifold t is connected to the circulating system in 'a manner well understood in this art, the fluid either coming in at this point for distribution to the several laterals or going out after having been collected by'the laterals.

The uppersurfaces of the laterals are provided with a plurality of collector heads or's o-called sand valves 9, the details of which form no part of the present invention and therefore will not be more fully described. Sufiice it to say that these collector heads are frequently buriedfin gravel or other treating'medium with which the tank. is filled and they are designed so as to permit the water to flow freely in either direction while at the same time preventing the treating material from entering the distributing system.

Heretofore, it has generally been customary to manufacture these distributing systems from pipe of one kind or another whichis suitably threaded to form the joints between the manifolds and the laterals. With my invention, however, all threading is dispensed with and I fabricate the unit with its manifold and its laterals, from a material such as cement-asbestos pipe. Such material is filled with the fibers of the asbestos and these play an important part in rendering tight the joints which I provide between the manifold and the laterals as-v will further appear.

By referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the apertures or holes ill in the manifold 45 into which the ends of the laterals are connected are outwardly flared preferably to approximately 4 per foot. These openings are not threaded but are formed by means of a drilling tool which is particularly designed to roughen the surface and shred and expose the ends of the asbestos fibers as shown at l I in Fig. 3 in somewhat exaggerated form. The connecting ends of the laterals are correspondingly chamfered as shown at l2 in Fig. 2 and are adapted to be fitted snuggly into the flaring openings in the manifold 4 but without materially projecting the ends of the laterals into the interior of the manifold. The chamfering is also accomplished by means of a tool which tends to roughen the surface and shred and expose the ends of the fibers in the cement-asbestos material from which the pipes are formed.

Similarly the plugs 6 and I are tapered and fitted into flaring openings as clearly shown in the drawings, the surfaces of these again being formed so as to shred and expose the ends of the fibers.

The Joints are sealed simply by pressing the parts together preferably with slight back and forth rotation to align the ends of the fibers which tends to form a mat of fibrous material somewhat in the nature of a gasket. Finally the lateral is driven home by tapping it slightly at the outer end so as to force the tapered parts together which completes a fluid tight seal, the fibrous mat then being compressed to act like a asket.

The distributor is mounted in a concrete emplacement l3 which, preferably, is sufiiciently deep so as to completely embed the laterals 5 although this is not absolutely essential. By so embedding the laterals the parts are held in their proper positions with respect to one another so that the laterals are not forced outwardly by the pressure of the fluid at times when a distributing flow is occurring.

As will be obvious to those familiar with this art my improved distributor with its novel connection between manifold and laterals saves a great deal of time in manufacture and assembly because all screw threading and other machining is eliminated which also reduces the cost both initially and by way of maintenance. There is also much less loss from breakage during shipping because the holes in the manifolds can be made much smaller than the holes heretofore employed with other types of joints. For instance in the old practice it was customary to drill a large straight hole in the manifold and then place a half coupling or connector in the hole after which the end of the lateral was placed in the coupling and a lead joint was poured around the lateral to make a fluid tight joint. Other types of joints involved the use of very lean cement mortars but all of them were clumsy and cumbersome and presented problems of one kind or another which are completely overcome by my invention.

I claim:

1. In a distributing system for water-softeners, filters and similar units, the combination of a cement-asbestos manifold and a plurality of cement-asbestos laterals connected thereto, said manifold being provided with a plurality of outwardly flaring openings thru its walls into which the ends of the laterals are adapted to extend, each of said laterals having its said end chamfered to correspond to and fit the flare of its opening, a concrete emplacement in which the distributing system is embedded and by means of which the parts are held in position with respect to one another, and circulation establishing conduit means adapted to connect the distributing system with the interior of the unit.

2. In a distributing system for water softeners, filters and the like, the combination of a cement-asbestos manifold having an outwardly flaring opening through a wall, a smaller cementasbestos lateral having a correspondingly chamfered end fitted into said opening, said opening in the manifold and said chamfer on the lateral being formed to shred and expose the ends of the asbestos fibers, and emplacement means adapted to hold the parts in their assembled position.

CHURCHILL HUNGERFORD, J R.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland of 1894 Number OTHER REFERENCES 

